Koukounaries Beach

Koukounaries Beach lies on the southwestern coast of Skiathos, the westernmost island of the Sporades archipelago in the northwest Aegean. Framed by a narrow stone pine forest and a small coastal lagoon, it is regarded as the island's best-known stretch of sand, prized for its fine golden grain and clear, shallow water. The pine woodland behind the beach survived a period of heavy logging for the shipbuilding trade in the 19th century and has since recovered into one of the island's few protected natural habitats, sheltering birdlife around the adjoining lagoon.

Skiathos counted 5,802 residents in the 2021 census, a figure that multiplies many times over each summer as visitors arrive on ferries from Volos and Agios Konstantinos on the mainland. The bay in front of Koukounaries offers reasonable shelter for small craft, though it opens toward the south and can turn choppy when the wind swings that way, so most boats keep a careful eye on the forecast before settling in for the night. It is one of the anchorages you'll visit on a private gulet cruise in Greece, giving guests a quiet swim stop backed by pine trees before the boat continues along the wider Sporades coastline.